


Tonight I Wanna Lay It At Your Feet

by EternallyEC



Category: Victorious (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Jori - Freeform, Missing Scene, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24398398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: What happened after the filming of Divertisimo? And how will a few words from Trina change the shape of Tori and Jade's relationship forever?
Relationships: Tori Vega/Jade West
Comments: 6
Kudos: 168





	Tonight I Wanna Lay It At Your Feet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Doriath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doriath/gifts).



> I started this ages ago and decided to give it a polish today in honor of a writer whose work never ceases to amaze me and whose ideas always inspire me to create. Enjoy!

Jade’s never been more relieved in her life to get out of a stupid costume than she is this damn cheese wedge. She wants to throttle Vega for trapping her into it, but there’s no maliciousness attached to the thought like there used to be. Instead, she’s just… impressed, something that seems to be happening more and more often when Tori stands up to her and manages to outwit her at her own game. 

Combing her fingers through her hair, she gives her reflection a scrutinizing once-over before leaving the dressing room and smirking in Tori’s direction. The other girl had gotten changed before her, the director calling it a wrap when Jade had taken off after one of the dancing mice when the humiliation had gotten to be too much to bear. “Let’s get out of here, Vega.” 

“You guys have to promise not to tell  _ anyone  _ about this!” Trina whines, suddenly appearing from around the corner. She’s still in-costume and Jade smirks as she crosses her arm over her chest, taking in how absolutely ridiculous the elder Vega looks. 

“Trina, why would we--” Tori starts, clearly intending to be the voice of reason before Jade gives her a look that silences her immediately.

“You have to give me fifty bucks.”

Trina gasps, drawing herself back as she shoots Jade a glare. “I’d never give you a penny, you freak!” 

“Fifty bucks and you have to be Tori’s assistant for a month,” Jade smirks, raising an eyebrow. 

“For a  _ month _ ?!” Trina shrieks, drawing questioning looks from the crew. “You have to be joking!”

“I can keep going,” Jade grins. 

“Tori, are you going to let your friend threaten me!” 

“She’s not my friend,” Tori says, surprising Jade until she turns and sees the wicked gleam in her eye. “So I can’t stop her from doing anything.” She’s biting her lip, clearly struggling not to laugh and for a split second, Jade can’t hide the smile that overtakes her.

She wishes that it could be this simple all the time with Tori. They work well together; no one can deny that. More than that though, Jade is filled with a warm glow, a peaceful feeling she’s never known when she’s with Tori and they aren’t at war with each other. It’s nice and she wishes she was less of a coward so that she could experience it more often. 

“TORI!” 

Trina’s shrill voice cuts through Jade’s thoughts and her smile instantly disappears, replaced by her usual smirk as she returns to reality. “So what’s it gonna be, Trina?” 

“FINE!” she yells, throwing her hands up in the air. “I’ll do it. God, would you two just make out and get it over with already!” she exclaims, stalking off into the makeshift dressing room as Jade tries not to react to her words that are far closer to reality than she’d like to think about. 

Tori laughs after a few seconds, and though it’s strained, it’s enough to cut through the lingering tension in the air and allow Jade to breathe normally again. “You ready to go,  _ West _ ?” she asks with a smug grin that Jade would just love to kiss off her face and god, she  _ really  _ has to stop thinking about kissing in conjuction with Tori. 

The ride home is strange; not quite uncomfortable but not as comfortable as it had been on the way to the studio. Trina’s words linger in the air between them, at least for Jade, and she can’t stop thinking about them, a plan slowly starting to form in her mind as she drives. 

By the time they reach Tori’s house, Jade’s decided what to do and, as with all of her plans, she’s committed to following through with it. That’s why she climbs out of the car when Tori does, earning a surprised look from the Latina. “I don’t want Beck to drive by and see that I’m not here,” she snaps, thankful that her hastily thought up excuse seems to pass muster as the skepticism disappears from Tori’s face and she follows her inside.

They’re both quiet as Jade lets Tori lead the way up to her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them and leaning on it. She watches as Tori sits down on the bed, pulling her Cuddle Me Cathy into her lap and hugging it as she meets Jade’s gaze. 

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Tori breaks the ice after a moment, giving Jade a warm smile. “You could have gotten her to cough up a hundred bucks easily.” 

Jade shrugs, giving her a smirk as some of the tension eases out of her body. “Guess I kind of owed you, Vega,” she admits, the words passing her lips far more easily than she’d imagined they would. She’s rewarded by Tori’s smile widening, growing bright as the sun as she pats the spot next to her on the bed. 

Pushing off the door, she sits down beside Tori and licks her lips, all too aware of how close they are. The space between them is a few mere inches but it feels like it might as well be a canyon as Jade thinks about crossing it. 

But first things first, she reminds herself as her hand twitches and she has to force it to stay put in her lap. She has a plan and she’s determined to see it through. 

“Do you remember what Trina asked us?” she blurts out, closing her eyes and inwardly groaning when she realizes how awkward she just made everything. Still, the words are hanging in the air between them and it’s too late to go back, so she might as well make the best of things. “I mean--”

“You mean about us kissing?” Tori asks, her voice surprisingly controlled, revealing nothing. 

Jade opens her eyes and turns to meet Tori’s gaze, swallowing as she nods. “Yeah, that.” 

“What about it?” she asks carefully, her eyes noticeably flicking down to Jade’s lips before returning to her eyes, a sign that boosts her confidence. 

“Technically, that was a question,” Jade drawls, letting her hand reach out to touch Tori’s, relieved when the other girl didn’t pull away. 

“I guess you’re right,” Tori breathes, the uncertainty in her eyes hurting Jade more than she’d thought possible. 

She hesitates. It’s not part of her plan but somehow she knows that she needs to do this, to give Tori an out, to make absolutely sure that she understands that this is about so much more than the dumb challenge. 

“You know, Sikowitz did say kissing didn’t count though,” she says slowly, panicking as she watches Tori’s eyes cloud over. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She doesn’t even bother to think, just taking Tori’s hand in hers before she can pull away, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. 

She’s spent too long running from her feelings, doing the stupidest things imaginable to try to push Tori away from her out of her own insecurities and fears. Now that she’s here, in this moment, somehow finding the courage to do what she knows she should have done long ago, she’ll be damned if she fucks it up.

“Jade…” 

Though she wants to say something, anything, there’s something in Vega’s eyes that stops her. Keeping her eyes locked on Tori’s, she interlocks their fingers and gives her hand a gentle squeeze as she waits. 

“What about Beck?” Tori whispers at last, her eyes troubled as they search hers. 

Fuck. 

In all of her thinking and planning, she’d forgotten about Beck and a surge of guilt shoots through her. If it wasn’t for Tori, she would have cheated on him without a second thought and she can’t stand the idea of that. The idea that she could have so easily forgotten him and hurt both him  _ and  _ Tori in that way is confusing and sends guilt settling like a rock in the pit of her stomach. 

It’s enough to make her realize that she’s only with Beck out of habit and she wonders how long it’s been since she fell out of love with him. But it’s neither the time or the place and she tables the thought in favor of the girl still at her side, hating the way her smile has disappeared to be replaced by a frown. 

Swallowing, she nods. “You’re right,” she sighs, releasing her hand and moving over just enough so that they aren’t touching anymore. “I’m with Beck.” 

“I know.” Tori’s voice is small and sad, unlike anything she’s heard from the other girl before and it’s enough to bring Jade’s sharp gaze back her way. “You’ve always been with Beck.” 

Jade takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, studying her profile as her heart hammers in her chest. “But maybe I don’t want to be anymore.” 

Tori glances her way quickly, frowning when she meets her gaze and quickly looking forward again. It stings, but Jade gets it. She gets it more than she’d ever care to admit. “Maybe?” Tori whispers. 

“Maybe there’s someone else I’ve wanted for a long time,” Jade says softly, the words she’s held inside for so long pouring out of her. There’s a freedom in saying them and a relief in not having to think too much. “Someone I’ve tried to push away but refused to go. Someone I sang a song to at the Full Moon Jam but who ran away before I could explain things to.” 

“That song was for me?” 

And now it’s out: there’s no more dancing around the truth, no more trying to pretend it doesn’t exist. Tori’s put her heart on the line by taking things from a vague someone to letting Jade know that she recognizes the someone as her and. Jade knows that this is it, time to lay all of her cards out on the table and hope for a winning hand. 

“Yeah, Tori, it was.” 

The words are simple, but they’re the best Jade can do for now and she hopes that Tori gets that. 

The armful of Vega she gets five seconds later is enough to send her slamming into the headboard with a grunt, giving her her answer. 

“Oh my god! Jade, I’m sorry,” Tori gasps, struggling to get up but giggling when Jade’s arms lock around her with that impossibly strong grip and hold her close. They’re half-sitting, half-lying on the bed now, limbs hopefully entangled and with Tori’s head on her chest and Jade can’t help the smile that crosses her face. Not that she tries too hard to stop it in the first place. 

“Just stay still, Vega,” Jade whispers as she wriggles again, clearly trying to get up. “If you get up right now I might kiss you and… I can’t do that to you or to Beck, all right?” 

Tori stills immediately, shifting to rest her head against Jade’s heart. “Are you going to break up with him?” she whispers, and Jade can’t help but squeeze her a little tighter at the sound of sadness in her voice. 

“I have to,” she sighs, staring down at the girl in her arms. “I’m in… I’m not in love with him anymore,” she catches herself before she can run headlong into trouble less than a minute after getting the girl. Well, mostly, anyway. 

“It’s not because of me, is it?” Tori asks, her voice soft and hesitant and Jade can’t imagine what it must cost her to ask the question. 

“No, Vega,” she sighs, resting her chin on top of her head. “I might have realized it because of you, but I’m not in love with him anymore. I don’t know when it happened, but I knew it as soon as I realized that I would have kissed you without even thinking about him.”

“I don’t want to lose either of you,” Tori sighs, shifting uncomfortably. 

And even though it kills her to do it, Jade reluctantly lets her go and helps her untangle herself so that they can sit up, Tori stretching as she does. Turning to face her, she pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin on top of them as she eyes Jade carefully. “I really like you, you know.”

“I really like you too,” Jade admits with a smile she’s hardly ever let Tori see. But this is a new day, a new era, and Jade’s determined to try her best to make it different. 

And as the girls talk long into the night, she starts to slowly sink into the realization that it already is. 

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from I Was Made For Loving You by Myzica. Please let me know what you think!


End file.
